Vasopressin in anergic schizophrenia. A cross-over study with lysine-8-vasopressin and placebo.

Sixteen out of 19 patients suffering from chronic anergic schizophrenia completed a placebo-controlled cross-over study with lysine-8-vasopressin (LVP), following a schedule of 1 week of placebo, 3 weeks of LVP, starting with 22.5 IU/day, gradually increased to 67.5 IU/day, and finally 4 weeks of placebo. The psychic state was evaluated with the Brief Psychiatric Rate Scale (BPRS), during weekly live interviews, and following videotaped BPRS interviews at the beginning and end of the LVP period, and at the end of the final placebo period. Symptoms of parkinsonism and tardive dyskinesia were also videotaped during a standardized examination at the same intervals. The videotapes were subsequently randomized and evaluated blindly. The results of liver interviews showed a significant (P less than 0.05) decrease in the BPRS anergic factor after 2 and 3 weeks of LVP treatment, but there were no changes in any single item, other BPRS factors, or the BPRS total score. The results of the videotape evaluations showed that the BPRS thinking disorder factor was significantly (P less than 0.05) decreased after 3 weeks of LVP, whereas the BPRS score was unchanged. No consistent changes in parkinsonism or tardive dyskinesia were found. Although side effects were few, six patients became agitated or aggressive during the LVP treatment. The beneficial effect on thought disorder and anergia, but the absence of global effects on the schizophrenic syndrome, illustrates the need for further research with other vasopressin analogues. The advantages and disadvantages of live and videotaped psychiatric interviews are also discussed.